Friday, September 10, 2004

What's the deal anyway?

Sometimes in life we come upon questions which demand answers. Questions like, "So, what do you plan to do with your degree after graduation?" Well, I hadn't really put the question into those terms until I heard it worded just like that yesterday. The realization hit me like an epiphany of loss must come to one who immediately upon death is faced with an eternity in hell. I'm going to have a degree. Not just any degree, but one in Communications. If any degree says I should be able to help people really talk to each other, this one does. A Communications degree nearly screams that supposedly I know how to listen to what people MEAN, not what they SAY. But, do I really? Am I really capable of helping people through tough times just by expaining what others really mean, or by just presenting the absent party's probable side of any story? I think I am. I believe that the most logical place to put this into use is in the ministry. For the last year I've felt that God may be preparing me for the role of pastor's wife. I've never really felt an attachment to a church and I've seen first hand what a lack of open communication does to the people who attend a congregational setting together. Church is one of the worst places to talk openly unless there are ground rules first. Theorhetically church is a safe place to share openly, but I've discovered this only works well if everyone agrees on everything, or if it's a very small group. I feel I have the gift of helping people transition from one pastor to another. I think this gift would come in handy if I were moving from to church to church. Plus, I can get along with almost anyone. The wife of a pastor should be able to fully back her husband's sermon without offending anyone and boy do I know how to strategically use tact when neccessary. I've discovered that there's a time for tact and a time for frankness. Not everyone can recognize the need for either at specific times but I know that if there's an elephant in the room it's better to address the issue early on rather than after everyone has covered up the scar so well that the damage is almost impossible to repair.The question still remains: What do I plan to do with my degree? God hasn't shown me yet.